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ceilidh love

ceilidh

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A social gathering with traditional Irish or Scottish music, dancing, and storytelling.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An Irish or Scottish informal social gathering where traditional folk music is played, with dancing and story telling.
  • noun Any such gathering in the Celtic diaspora.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an informal social gathering at which there is Scottish or Irish folk music and singing and folk dancing and story telling

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Irish Gaelic céilidhe, from Old Irish célide, visit, from céle, companion; see kei- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Scottish Gaelic cèilidh, Irish céilidhe, from Old Irish céile ("companion").

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Examples

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hypernyms (1)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. party

Comments

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  • asativum commented on the word ceilidh

    Pronounced "hoo-ha," I hope. Because then I have a chance of saying it right.

    January 23, 2008

  • sarra commented on the word ceilidh

    When I first learnt this word many years ago I imagined it was spelt cailey. /'keɪlɪ/, rhymes with daily.

    January 23, 2008

  • asativum commented on the word ceilidh

    Thanks!

    January 23, 2008

  • reesetee commented on the word ceilidh

    That's how I heard it pronounced in Nova Scotia, too: KAY-lee.

    January 23, 2008

  • skipvia commented on the word ceilidh

    In western NC, where I first heard it, it's often pronounced with equal stress on both syllables: KAY-LEE.

    January 23, 2008

  • asativum commented on the word ceilidh

    Oh dear. Can't a nation of 300-million mainly English-speakers* agree on how to stress the syllables of a Gaelic word?

    (edit): * Erm -- and their lovely and decidedly independent neighbors to the north, of course... Sorry! Excusez-moi!

    January 23, 2008

  • seanahan commented on the word ceilidh

    Random House has "key-lee", but the rest have "kay-lee". Bartleby has an audio sample attached, and there is a more noticeable pause in between the two syllables than in daily.

    January 23, 2008

  • asativum commented on the word ceilidh

    You say ceilidh,

    I say ceilidh,

    Let's call the whole thing off!

    January 23, 2008

  • sionnach commented on the word ceilidh

    In Ireland, it's pronounced 'kay-lee', with roughly equal stress on both syllables. 'key-lee' just seems wrong.

    There are two variations in the Gaelic spelling: in Munster (where I grew up), it's written as 'céilí'. 'Céilidh' is the preferred spelling in Northern Ireland (and, I'm guessing, in Scots Gaelic).

    I don't think there is any particular confusion about how the word is accented - the presence of two accent marks in the first spelling makes it clear that both syllables should be stressed equally. The second accent is omitted in 'Céilidh' because the effect of adding the 'dh' is to lengthen the vowel, so the accent becomes superfluous.

    Inclusion of 'storytelling' in the definition is a delusion of Weirdnet.

    January 23, 2008

  • reesetee commented on the word ceilidh

    Ah, thank heavens for sionnach! I had a feeling those missing accents had something to do with all of this. :-)

    January 23, 2008